Side by side

SD versus microSD

Compare physical card forms; verify capacity, bus and speed class separately.

Computer-generated illustration, not a photograph. — P061 · ConnectorFull-size SD card form

How they differ

Full-size SD card form Compare the keyed card outline and the reader label. This unnumbered sketch represents a full-size card form, not a specific generation of contacts.
microSD card form Look for a small keyed memory-card outline. Extra contact rows on some variants matter, so the drawing deliberately does not assign numbered contacts.

At a glance

Source-scoped form facts; counts, variants and unknowns are distinct
Field	Full-size SD card form	microSD card form
Type	Connector	Connector
Family	Storage	Storage
Shape	card edge	card edge
Nominal contacts	9S041 · S042 · S041Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint; nominal engineering count, not automatically positions, population or a device wiring map. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint	8S041 · S042 · S041 · S391 · S392Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint; nominal engineering count, not automatically positions, population or a device wiring map. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint
Positions / cavity span	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
Contact rows	1 (Claim C061B)S041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. The SD Association lists a nominal full-size SD card envelope of 32 × 24 × 2.1 mm. Conventional single-row cards for Default Speed, High Speed and UHS-I use nine contacts. \| Nominal card identification and conventional first-row contact count only; not a socket footprint, pad drawing, tolerance specification or all-generation pin count.	1 (Claim C062B)S041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. The SD Association lists a nominal microSD envelope of 15 × 11 × 1.0 mm (length × width × thickness). Conventional single-row cards for Default Speed, High Speed and UHS-I use eight contacts. \| Nominal microSD card identification and conventional first-row count; no inference about extra contacts, exact host support or fabrication dimensions.
Connector role	socketS041 · S042 · S041Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint	socketS041 · S042 · S041 · S391 · S392Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint
Key distinction	The card shape is one label; capacity and speed are separate labels.	Small form factor does not mean a particular speed.

Full evidence ledger and sources ↓

Illustrations are computer-generated with prior AI visual review; independent technical and rights review pending. A comparison is not a compatibility verdict.

This comparison stays within one evidence layer.

All selected records are Connector records. Similar layer does not mean compatible, interchangeable or safe to mate.

Families represented: Storage

Look here first

Spot the difference.

Read the views →

Not a size comparison. Illustrations fit the same display boxes; their physical dimensions are not shown to a common scale. No mating or compatibility verdict follows.

P061 / Card-outline schematic

Full-size SD card form

Card illustration

Visible clue: Full-size card outline with a clipped upper-right corner

Contact strokes are symbolic; do not count them as the card contacts.

Still check: The illustrated contact strokes do not identify a bus generation, speed class or actual contact population.

P062 / Card-outline schematic

microSD card form

Card illustration

Visible clue: Small card outline with stepped left edge

Contact strokes are symbolic; this is not a full contact-layout drawing.

Still check: This sketch cannot establish capacity, bus mode, speed class or the presence of extra contact rows.

The reference ledger

Read the same question across.

2 selected records · 17 fields
No score. No compatibility verdict.

On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways or open the field-by-field reading view below. Illustrations are not a size comparison.

Comparison of selected field notes; source links accompany each documented specification
What you are comparing	P061 / ConnectorFull-size SD card form Identification schematic · not to scale · drawing review pending	P062 / ConnectormicroSD card form Identification schematic · not to scale · drawing review pending
Layer	Connector	Connector
Key distinction	The card shape is one label; capacity and speed are separate labels.	Small form factor does not mean a particular speed.
Nominal contacts	9S041 · S042 · S041Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint; nominal engineering count, not automatically positions, population or a device wiring map. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint	8S041 · S042 · S041 · S391 · S392Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint; nominal engineering count, not automatically positions, population or a device wiring map. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint
Positions / cavity span	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
Populated contacts	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
Contact rows	1 (Claim C061B)S041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. The SD Association lists a nominal full-size SD card envelope of 32 × 24 × 2.1 mm. Conventional single-row cards for Default Speed, High Speed and UHS-I use nine contacts. \| Nominal card identification and conventional first-row contact count only; not a socket footprint, pad drawing, tolerance specification or all-generation pin count.	1 (Claim C062B)S041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. The SD Association lists a nominal microSD envelope of 15 × 11 × 1.0 mm (length × width × thickness). Conventional single-row cards for Default Speed, High Speed and UHS-I use eight contacts. \| Nominal microSD card identification and conventional first-row count; no inference about extra contacts, exact host support or fabrication dimensions.
Contact pitch	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
Dimensions / axis	32 mm Nominal card length; 24 mm Nominal card width; 2.1 mm Nominal maximum envelope thicknessS041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. nominal_identifier; Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint	15 mm Nominal card length; 11 mm Nominal card width; 1 mm Nominal maximum envelope thicknessS041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. nominal_identifier; Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint
Connector role	socketS041 · S042 · S041Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint	socketS041 · S042 · S041 · S391 · S392Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint
Coupling / latch	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
Keying / polarization	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.	Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
Record layer	Physical card formC061A	Physical card formC062A
Performance	Not established by physical sizeC061A	Not an equivalent field
Nominal card envelope	32 × 24 × 2.1 mmC061B	15 × 11 × 1.0 mmC062B
Conventional first-row contacts	9; not a universal all-generation countC061B	8; not a universal all-generation countC062B
Express capability	Not an equivalent field	Requires explicit card and host documentationC062A
Evidence	C061A,C061B,C061C → Independent review pending	C062A,C062B,C062C,C062D,C062E → Independent review pending

Read field by field — no sideways scrolling

The same selected records, fields, values and source links as the table. Missing fields remain non-equivalent; no values are merged.

Layer

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: Connector
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Connector

Key distinction

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: The card shape is one label; capacity and speed are separate labels.
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Small form factor does not mean a particular speed.

Nominal contacts

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: 9S041 · S042 · S041Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint; nominal engineering count, not automatically positions, population or a device wiring map. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint
microSD card formP062 / Connector: 8S041 · S042 · S041 · S391 · S392Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint; nominal engineering count, not automatically positions, population or a device wiring map. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint

Positions / cavity span

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.

Populated contacts

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.

Contact rows

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: 1 (Claim C061B)S041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. The SD Association lists a nominal full-size SD card envelope of 32 × 24 × 2.1 mm. Conventional single-row cards for Default Speed, High Speed and UHS-I use nine contacts. | Nominal card identification and conventional first-row contact count only; not a socket footprint, pad drawing, tolerance specification or all-generation pin count.
microSD card formP062 / Connector: 1 (Claim C062B)S041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. The SD Association lists a nominal microSD envelope of 15 × 11 × 1.0 mm (length × width × thickness). Conventional single-row cards for Default Speed, High Speed and UHS-I use eight contacts. | Nominal microSD card identification and conventional first-row count; no inference about extra contacts, exact host support or fabrication dimensions.

Contact pitch

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.

Dimensions / axis

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: 32 mm Nominal card length; 24 mm Nominal card width; 2.1 mm Nominal maximum envelope thicknessS041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. nominal_identifier; Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint
microSD card formP062 / Connector: 15 mm Nominal card length; 11 mm Nominal card width; 1 mm Nominal maximum envelope thicknessS041 · S042Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. nominal_identifier; Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint

Connector role

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: socketS041 · S042 · S041Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint
microSD card formP062 / Connector: socketS041 · S042 · S041 · S391 · S392Recorded source-scoped values; named examples do not describe every family variant or establish compatibility. Conventional card contact face, not a receptacle terminal or PCB footprint

Coupling / latch

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.

Keying / polarization

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Not recordedNot recorded in a normalized source-scoped field. Consult the exact part/revision; no value inferred from illustrations.

Record layer

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: Physical card formC061A
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Physical card formC062A

Performance

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: Not established by physical sizeC061A
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Not an equivalent field

Nominal card envelope

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: 32 × 24 × 2.1 mmC061B
microSD card formP062 / Connector: 15 × 11 × 1.0 mmC062B

Conventional first-row contacts

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: 9; not a universal all-generation countC061B
microSD card formP062 / Connector: 8; not a universal all-generation countC062B

Express capability

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: Not an equivalent field
microSD card formP062 / Connector: Requires explicit card and host documentationC062A

Evidence

Full-size SD card formP061 / Connector: C061A,C061B,C061C →
Independent review pending
microSD card formP062 / Connector: C062A,C062B,C062C,C062D,C062E →
Independent review pending

Your next step

Use the distinction in context.

Open the field notes Read source-linked facts and limitations.Compare another pair Start from a common confusion.Check a connection A comparison is not a compatibility verdict.

Continue the distinction

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Browse every comparison →

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Evidence behind this page

Scope first. Source second. Approval separate.

5 linked sources · 8 scoped claims · 0 sources with inspection/access flags.

Page scope: Evidence behind the compared records; the editorial comparison still needs separate review.

Assessment 2026-10-22 · earliest scheduled source review 2026-12-30. This is a recorded-date assessment, not a live source check. Page-level independent review is not established by this panel.

Inspect 5 source scopes, access limits and dates

S041 · SD Standard Overview

SD Association · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-07 · due 2027-01-05

Within inspection window

Scoped support: SD/microSD physical-form and generation-specific contact-count distinctions; no numbered assignments or fabrication drawing.

Not established / limitations: Counts are scoped to named modes. The overview does not identify an exact card or host, and extra-row count does not establish implemented protocol.

Locator: Conventional-card paragraph and form-factor table: first-row counts and UHS-II / SD Express count ranges

S042 · Capacity: SD, SDHC, SDXC and SDUC

SD Association · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-07 · due 2027-01-05

Within inspection window

Scoped support: SD capacity/file-system classes and nominal full-size SD and microSD envelopes; not host capacity approval.

Not established / limitations: Nominal card envelopes are identification aids, not mechanical tolerances, socket footprints, pad positions or formatting instructions.

Locator: Capacity ranges, file-system table and Form Factor Size rows

S045 · SD Express implementation overview

SD Association · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-01 · due 2026-12-30

Within inspection window

Scoped support: PCIe/NVMe transport and explicit host capability verification.

Not established / limitations: PCIe/NVMe transport and explicit host capability verification.

Locator: Host implementation overview and PCIe-only host distinction

S391 · S-46u Industrial MICRO SD/SDHC Memory Card — Revision 1.00

Swissbit AG (manufacturer document hosted by Farnell) · Unclassified publisher domain · inspected 2026-10-07 · due 2027-01-05

Within inspection window

Scoped support: Exact Swissbit S-46u conventional microSD pin-label example; native SD-mode assignment and orientation.

Not established / limitations: Distributor-hosted manufacturer PDF, not an independently authenticated original. No universal SPI, SD Express or UHS-II pinout; original 19-page document is linked, not redistributed.

Locator: Page 8, Figure 2 bottom view and Table 11 native SD / SPI pad assignments

S392 · SD Express (SD7.x–SD8.0) Host Implementation Guideline, Version 2 — May 2025

SD Association · Standards-organization domain · inspected 2026-10-07 · due 2027-01-05

Within inspection window

Scoped support: Named-version SD Express connector/host context, particularly the different microSD Express and microSD UHS-II second-row geometry.

Not established / limitations: Targeted sections only, not a full licensed specification review. No claim that every legacy, Express or multi-mode host supports another card; no fabrication approval.

Locator: Page 13, sections 4.10.1 and 4.10.2; context in pages 7–8

Trace 8 claims to their source records

C061A · P061

SD and microSD are distinct physical card forms. The form-factor label does not by itself establish capacity class, bus mode or recording performance.

Claim scope: Named standard or manufacturer description only; procedural checks are editorial recommendations, not hardware tests.

Source links: S041 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)

C061B · P061

The SD Association lists a nominal full-size SD card envelope of 32 × 24 × 2.1 mm. Conventional single-row cards for Default Speed, High Speed and UHS-I use nine contacts.

Claim scope: Nominal card identification and conventional first-row contact count only; not a socket footprint, pad drawing, tolerance specification or all-generation pin count.

Source links: S041 · S042 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)

C061C · P061

The SD Association overview distinguishes full-size SD contact counts by interface: High Speed/UHS-I nine, UHS-II seventeen, one-lane SD Express seventeen to nineteen, and two-lane SD Express twenty-five to twenty-seven.

Claim scope: Published overview categories inspected 2026-10-07; count ranges retain implementation variation and do not assign individual pins or identify a host controller.

Source links: S041 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)

C062A · P062

The SD Association treats microSD as a separate, smaller form factor from full-size SD. Capacity, bus interface and speed-class support remain additional distinctions.

Claim scope: Named standard or manufacturer description only; procedural checks are editorial recommendations, not hardware tests.

Source links: S041 · S045 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)

C062B · P062

The SD Association lists a nominal microSD envelope of 15 × 11 × 1.0 mm (length × width × thickness). Conventional single-row cards for Default Speed, High Speed and UHS-I use eight contacts.

Claim scope: Nominal microSD card identification and conventional first-row count; no inference about extra contacts, exact host support or fabrication dimensions.

Source links: S041 · S042 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)

C062C · P062

The SD Association overview distinguishes microSD contact counts by interface: High Speed/UHS-I eight, UHS-II sixteen, and one-lane microSD Express sixteen to seventeen.

Claim scope: Published overview categories inspected 2026-10-07, not an exhaustive identification method; physical contacts do not establish active bus support.

Source links: S041 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)

C062D · P062

Swissbit S-46u Revision 1.00, page 8, gives this native SD-mode assignment in Figure 2 bottom-view numbering: 1 DAT2, 2 CD/DAT3, 3 CMD, 4 VDD, 5 CLK, 6 VSS, 7 DAT0, 8 DAT1. The same table gives different SPI-mode functions on several pads.

Claim scope: Exact manufacturer-documented conventional microSD example; native SD-mode column only. Not a UHS-II/Express extra-row pinout, socket-terminal map, startup sequence or universal SPI wiring guide.

Source links: S391 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)

C062E · P062

The SD Association SD Express Host Implementation Guideline Version 2 (May 2025), section 4.10.2, states that microSD Express needs different connectors because the second-row pad location and size differ from microSD UHS-II.

Claim scope: microSD second-row mechanical distinction in the named guideline; not proof of compatibility or incompatibility of any complete multi-mode host product.

Source links: S392 · Evidence trail → (private workspace)

Prepare this page for review →Read the evidence method →

Recorded evidence only. An inspection date, publisher label, source link or generated packet is not independent technical review, hardware testing, fabrication approval or a compatibility verdict.